


The Art of Escapism

by kalespia



Category: Love Live! Sunshine!!
Genre: F/F, Light Angst, Slow Burn, and kanan loves it, mari is everything good and bright, small mention of Mari's mother being controlling, witch!AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-29
Updated: 2019-08-29
Packaged: 2020-09-29 19:24:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,819
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20441237
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kalespia/pseuds/kalespia
Summary: Witches aren't welcome in society.So why is Kanan so attracted to the light of someone who's supposed to hate her?





	The Art of Escapism

She wasn’t sure when the first time she saw the girl was.

Technically, it was when she saw a quick flash of blonde hair running past her home, accompanied by the joyous sound of laughter.

God, she _hated_ that sound.

It usually meant that the rambunctious children of the nearby village had come to harass her in her studies. Which also meant that she would be cleaning up eggs from the outside of her house for the next half hour.

But the sound of this laughter was different; it was innocent, hopeful.

There was no face attached to the melodious sound. Until a few months later when she heard quiet whispers outside the front porch. She peeped out from behind the curtains to see two kids about the same age as her, not-so-quietly arguing over who should go up to the door and knock. Her face immediately fell. It was just another prank from the village kids who shunned witches. She would think since they lived on the outskirts of the village in the woods nobody would bother them, but people were hateful.

The two ended their argument when one of the kids, a confident-looking blonde girl with piercing golden eyes, stomped up to the front door and knocked. Mustering up the best angry look she was capable of, she opened the door.

“I’ve had enough pranks! Please just go away,” she said, nearly shouting in the face of the blonde girl.

But instead of being met with indignance, the girl simply cocked her head, staring at her with curiosity in her eyes. It was a little unnerving.

“You’re the same age as me?” she asked quietly.

“I-- uh, no! I mean yes! That doesn’t mean you can bully me!”

This was bad. She wasn’t supposed to be the one who was flustered. She wished her mentor was back already.

The girl didn’t back away.

“What’s your name?” she asked curiously. There was no trace of hate in her voice, only innocent inquiry.

“Kanan. Please leave me alone now,” she answered, her voice unwillingly wavering. She sounded like a scared rabbit when she could easily turn the blonde into a frog if she wanted to. But she didn’t.

“I’m Mari. I’m sorry for the others causing trouble for you. I can be your friend,” she said, smiling.

“What?”

What a preposterous proposal. If she had learned anything, it was that witches and those who possessed magic were shunned in this world. Society had time and time again proved that they were not welcome into their communities. They were misfits, outcasts. They did not get what others got. And they definitely did not have friends, especially not with the non-magical.

* * *

Two weeks after that interaction, Kanan couldn’t stop thinking about the girl. Her brain couldn’t process the kindness that she displayed. She supposed kindness was a foreign concept to her mind. Her mentor had even taught her that kindness was a rarity in this world.

And lo and behold, while she was harvesting crops from their garden, she spotted Mari again. Ducking behind the tomato vines, Kanan watched in curiosity as the blonde girl ran deeper into the woods, towards the coin pond that a local fae had set up ages ago. It was funny actually, the fae had abandoned the pond long ago in favor of a more populated village, and no longer granted the wishes of villagers who threw a gold coin in. But Kanan never said anything about that to any passing villagers. How else would they get their money?

As if her feet moved by themselves, Kanan followed Mari to the pond at a safe distance. Once reaching the clearing, she couldn’t help but notice the way the sunlight filtering through the tree canopy bounced off Mari’s blonde hair, creating its own light show.

Mari pulled out a dirty gold coin from the pocket of her dress, clutching it in a fist as if the pressure would help make her wish come true.

“Please let my mother let me have happiness,” she whispered into her closed fist.

Kanan frowned. The kind spirit Mari had displayed was already rare enough in this world, why would her mother try and squash that? But, then again, Kanan knew everything rare in this world was either exploited or shunned.

“The pond doesn’t work, you know,” Kanan spoke up, before Mari could throw the coin into the pond.

Mari whipped around, her blonde hair creating a halo around her face.

“The fae doesn’t live here anymore. Guess he thought the village was too poor to make it beneficial for him,” Kanan continued, leaning on a tree nonchalantly.

“So everyone has been wasting their money here?” Mari asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

“For their wishes to come true? Yes. But the money doesn’t go to waste, per say…”

Mari’s face dropped. It was like the sun had set and given way to a permanent night.

“But I don’t think a fae can fix your problem,” Kanan stated matter-of-factly.

“It’s worth a shot though, right?” Mari asked, her face lifting to look Kanan in the eyes. They were shiny with tears and Kanan felt a pang in her chest.

“You decide your own future,” Kanan said, echoing the words of her mentor.

She didn’t know if she was talking to Mari or herself.

* * *

“Fancy seeing you here,” Kanan grinned mischievously.

A familiar blonde girl was skipping rocks on the coin pond, the splashes of water catching the glinting sunlight and reflecting droplets of light onto the surrounding trees.

“Kanan-chan,” Mari smiled warmly.

She wouldn’t admit it out loud, but she had missed seeing the girl around the woods. It had been three years since she had told Mari the truth about the coin pond. From what she could gather, Mari had been restricted from going into the woods and all Kanan had seen of her was glimpses of blonde hair when she went into the village for supplies. She found her eyes unconsciously looking for the girl. Desire was dangerous like that.

Kanan noticed the dark bags under Mari’s golden eyes, but it didn’t take away from the glint of raw curiosity that was always present. Her face had become more mature, in a way. Kanan wondered if she looked more mature, too.

“Teach me, Kanan-chan,” Mari said suddenly, spreading her arms out wide.

“W-what?” Kanan gasped.

What a preposterous proposal.

But this time, Kanan didn’t shy away.

* * *

The coin pond had become their place. Kanan even went as far as enchanting the surrounding woods to make it seem as if the pond had vanished from existence. It was exhilarating being with Mari.

She taught her about the ins and outs of witchcraft, and no, they did _not_ turn people into frogs whenever they wanted to, no matter how badly they wanted to. She knew her mentor would not approve of their interaction, but it felt good to have a friend. Someone who was kind and didn’t see Kanan as simply unnatural or a person to continue their practices. And she especially enjoyed whenever she taught Mari something new, that glint in her eyes would become more fierce, setting her eyes on fire.

“Kanan-chan, there’s an end of summer festival coming up soon, so I might not be able to see you for a little bit,” Mari sighed, plopping down on the grass.

“That’s okay. My mentor is getting irritated with how much I’m out by myself, so I think a little break couldn’t hurt,” Kanan smiled, sitting down next to her. She would regret saying that.

Mari leaned her head onto Kanan’s shoulder, and she just hoped that the blonde couldn’t hear the pounding of her heart.

* * *

Kanan didn’t see Mari for the next four years.

The sudden separation from the one source of kindness in her life had left her bitter. She no longer became flustered when rowdy children came to bother them. Instead she exuded a dark cloud that she would envelope them with, so they could feel the pain and frustration that life had piled on top of her. Soon, children no longer came around.

She had finished her studies in witchcraft, her mentor having taught everything she knew and then going off in search of a new mentee. She was alone now, more than she had ever been. 

She had considered going to look for Mari in the village, but it was pointless. Rumors had spread throughout the village of Kanan’s dark magic, and she was sure that they would kill her on sight if she ever showed her face again.

Kanan spent more time at the coin pond alone than she would have liked. She sat at the edge of the water, not caring if the cold night wind made her sick. Everything about the place mocked her; the stars blinking in pity, the birds laughing at her, the cold water carrying biting sadness to shore. Kanan brought the moon to the pond, and Mari was the sun. Maybe the pond would never see the daytime again.

A rustle of leaves sounded behind the witch, but she paid no heed to it. She had long given up on the enchantments protecting the pond.

“Kanan-chan.”

The stars stopped blinking. The birds stopped chirping. The waves reversed.

Kanan was never one for physical contact. Not that she ever had anyone to do that with. But once wrapped in her arms, it felt as if they were made to fit with each other.

Kanan was the moon, and Mari was the sun.

She hadn’t even realized she was crying until she pulled away and saw damp spots on Mari’s dress.

“I’m sorry…” Mari whispered, clasping her dainty hands with Kanan’s calloused ones.

The dark cloud of anger and frustration that weighed on Kanan’s shoulders dissipated, giving way to the light of Mari’s touch.

“My mother is marrying me off. The man is from another village,” Mari continued, looking at the ground. “She found out about you and me. She sent the village guards to your house, I had to warn you first. You’re in danger, Kanan-chan.”

“Mari-chan…”

“I understand if you hate me. But please, I’m begging you, run. I couldn’t live with myself if you were hurt because of me,” Mari pleaded, tears now falling from her eyes.

“Come with me,” Kanan said, gently grabbing Mari’s face to force her to look her in the eyes.

“W-what?” Mari stuttered. It was her turn to be flustered.

“Run away with me. We can escape,” Kanan said, more confident in her statement than any she had ever uttered before.

The glint turned into a golden inferno.

Their lips locked perfectly together. She tasted like everything bright in the world, the sunlight in her being seeping into Kanan’s chest and blossoming into a shining summer.

Kanan was the moon, and Mari was the sun.

The village never saw them again.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm procrastinating on writing a full-length story by writing one-shots.
> 
> Enjoy the fruits of my procrastination.


End file.
